Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

A cost effective "sealant" is Finish Kare`s FK1000P Hi-Temp Wax (really a wax "hybrid") for the winter.
Another sealant is Klasse Hi-Gloss Sealant Glaze, layered 2 or 3 times, that will give very good protection through the winter (according to highly-respected Autopian "Accumulator").

Myself, I am a wax aficionado, and use Collinite 915 Marque D-elegance, but their 476S wax may be a better option for the winter. But I am "old school detailing" in that department.

I would think that MOST Autopians would highly suggest coating your vehicle for the ultimate winter protection that will also provide year-round protection for your vehicle. Yes, it is expensive initially for the product itself, but the long-term benefits are very worth-while. However, properly prepping ("properly" being the key word here) is an absolute MUST to getting the most out of coating , and not everyone has the equipment, car-care chemicals, and experience/skill necessary to optimize those results. If your vehicle has a lot of scratches (referred to as Random Isolated Deep Scratches, or RIDS), your vehicle may not be suitable for a coating, as the coating will magnify and "enhance" those scratches or swirls, and the vehicle will look like "crap". That`s the down side. If you are considering a coating , look at Polish Angel Viking designed specifically for artic/winter climates.

There is one other newer-type over-the-counter consumer-applied "sealant" choice and that is Meguiar`s Ultimate Fast Finish. I have NO experience with it, so I cannot comment on its winter performance. You can research this yourself within this forum OR call the Meguiar`s Hotline and chat with a customer-service rep about this product. I throw this suggestion out to you about Meg`s UFF because it is available OTC at almost any place that sells Meg`s consume-line of car-care products (like Walmart) and it is relatively inexpensive compared other OTC products. I would still suggest that paint surface preparation is key to getting the most out this product and having it look its best on your vehicle.

Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

As as regulars here know, I would go with two coats of FK1000P , done at least a couple days apart. i wouldn`t go over three unless spreading them over a longer period of time, but sometimes it does go OK and the worst that can happen is pseudoholograms

If using KSG I`d sure do a minimum of four coats, and if you want it to rival two or three coats of FK1000P you`d better do six (which still didn`t always do as well for me).

I do like Collinite, but their 476S wasn`t even close to the above two and I consider it a "beauty wax" by comparison (and thus an also-ran in my book).

Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

Throw Mckees Hi Def Paint Sealant, PBL Sealant and PA Master Sealant. All advertised for more than 6 months and all capable of getting you that with good prep, upkeep and moderate environmental conditions.

Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

I`ve never tried the PNS, but I`ll say that 845 never lasted all that long except on garage queens. Sure not hating on it, and I still use it on a few areas on the `93 Audi, but IME its more of a, uhm...incredibly user-friendly product for specific situations. It didn`t resist etching from bird-bombs/bugs/etc. all that well either. The pre-VOC version was a bit better than the current stuff, but not all that much.

Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

AND...I`ve never found any need for "truly proper prep" with the FK. I get the results I`m always raving about despite *not* doing all the prep that "everybody knows you oughta do". Decontaminate? At least clay? Strip the paint before LSPing? DO SOMETHING? Nah, I usually just wash it and apply another coat. For years.

Re: Okay... Longest lasting sealant....

DesertNate- Hey, interesting! Goes to show how the old YMMV! always applies.

How many coats of KSG had you used? Just wondering as some folks do one or two, which never lasted as long as Collinite for me.

I waffled a bit with the layers when I still used KSG. The number of layers depending on availability of free time. Most of the time when I applied one coat I`d get about five-ish months from it...just enough to barely get me through fall/winter. Two coats would last me closer to six months. I never really found much visual improvement in layering KSG like some say will happen, so I was simply going for durability.

As for the 845, our differences might be on when we declare a product "dead". For me, winter would be the true torture test since the vehicles would only see occasional touchless washes to knock off the salt. I`d apply a layer with my DA in the October timeframe. By March the beading would still be present, but they were more ill shaped blobs than nice tight beads. There was still something going on, but not as strong. Total failure for me would be no beading at all when clean and water clinging to the surface. In the spring/summer time I could apply in April and as long as I kept it clean and used Meguiars UQW as a drying aid, I could easily go until October and still see nice beading.

Somewhere over on AG there is an old thread showing a long term head-to-head test I ran between KSG and 845. Might have to go back and look for it.....